Emily and the Boppy Pillow

I got a boppy pillow as one of my baby shower gifts, and was really looking forward to using it when feeding Emily.  Unfortunately, she doesn't like to lay on it when eating - but we will be using it later for her "tummy time".  Today, we discovered a new use for the pillow, Emily loved just laying in it and looking around!  Here's a picture, I just thought it was adorable :)

First "Real" Bath!

Today, Saturday July 26th, Emily George took her first real bath!!  Until now, we've been using wet washcloths to clean her, waiting for her umbilical cord to fall off.  It fell off a few days ago, but we could not bring ourselves to do the bath, or just kept running out of time during the day.  Today was the day!  Emily did SO well.  She did not cry at all, just kept staring at Mommy and Daddy in wonder, and was obviously enjoying the experience.  I am sure it reminded her of being in Mommy's tummy, floating around in all that water :)  Maybe she'll be a better swimmer than her Mom?  Hope so!  :)

No A/C in Texas in July? Not fun!!!

Well we had an eventful afternoon today - our air conditioning went out!  (Just to remind those that may have forgotten, we are in Texas in the middle of July with triple-digit heat!!)  It's very lucky that Steve 'caught' it at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and we could still call in the service people.  Once they heard we have a new baby in the house, they came out after hours, which was so nice!!  The air is back on now, but for the couple of hours it was out, it got really hot in the house.  We were worried that Emily might get overheated since babies' thermo-regulation is pretty much non existent, so we took all her clothes off other than her diaper of course.  She had fun hanging out with Daddy, and then on the floor on a blanket, which she has not done before.  She enjoyed listening to the TV and staring at the ceiling fan!  Simple fun......  Anyway, here are a couple of pics of our little Hot Tamale :)

Irina's Present

My Russian friend Irina from Alabama gave us an activity gym as a baby present, and Steve put it together yesterday afternoon.  We tried it with Emily, and it worked great! She seemed to really enjoy all the little lights, sounds, and toys, and was following them very well with her eyes.  Her attention span is of course very short right now, so she got tired quickly, but it was encouraging to see her play and enjoy it.  Hopefully, as she continues to grow, she will play it in more and learn to do fun things like roll over!  The gym is great because all the 4 walls collapse down, and you can have a crawling tunnel, or just a pad to sit and play on, and there's a "tummy time" version, the gym is a transformer and makes into all sorts of fun things!  Thanks, Irisha, what a great gift!! Here are a couple of pics of Emily with her new toy! 

2-Week Check Up

Emily went to the pediatrician for her 2-week checkup today.  We met "our" doctor, Dr. Poole (she's been on vacation since July 4th and is finally back.)  We enjoyed talking to the doctor, getting to know her, and getting our questions answered.  Emily has grown 1/4 of an inch to a 21 1/4 inches, and has put on some weight, she now weighs 9 lbz 11 oz.  We'll be out of those newborn diapers before we know it!  The doctor wanted to see her get back to her birth weight of 9.2 and obviously, we've surpassed that! Emily's umbilical cord is almost off, and the bumps on her face are still baby acne, nothing new - so Dad and I are relieved :)  A lab tech came in and drew blood for some tests, Emily did not like that too well, but she settled down pretty quickly.   

We continue to experience some colic-type issues, but the doctor did not seem to be worried and said it was way too early to put that type of "diagnosis" on the baby.  She said to just keep an eye on her and give her some over the counter drops to help, which we've been doing.  We'll continue to watch her and see if she outgrows it on her own!

So, overall, the visit was great.  Steve and I got some much needed Starbucks on the way home, and even went for a little drive seeing how Emily enjoys the car seat so much :)

5th Anniversary

No pictures today (it's been a busy day!) but just wanted to make a quick entry to note that Emily's Mom and Dad celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary today!  It's hard to believe that it has been 5 years, and that we've known each other for 8!  Time flies!!  We decided that Emily is our anniversary present to each other this year :)  

Flowers from Bank of America

We received a very special surprise today!  My friends and co-workers from Bank of America sent us this beautiful flower arrangement.  The flowers are just gorgeous, and they smell amazing!!  Thank you guys so much!!!!  

Oh, and there is a picture  of Emily with her eyes open!  She was hanging out with Daddy and Mommy snuck in on her to capture the moment.  No flash, so looks a little dark and you still can't really tell from pictures, but her eyes are dark gray right now.  Supposedly, they'll be changing over the next 6 months so we'll see what we end up with - maybe blue like Mom and Dad, but of course any color is a good color :)

I Like to Move it, Move it :)

Emily's aunt Karen, uncle Ed, and cousins Merichelle, Allison, and Nataniel gave her a swing that we decided to try today.  Emily loved it!!  She stayed in it for a whole hour after "lunch", and would have probably stayed longer if she did not need changing.... :)  We are excited about her doing well in the swing, and in the car seat - hopefully, since she likes the repetitive motion, we'll be able to do some of our road trips some time in the future!!  Anyway, the picture is a little fuzzy because I took it while the swing was in motion - I'll take some sharper ones next time.  

Visitors!

Helen and Sebastian came to visit us and meet Emily today.  They are very dear friends that will be leaving soon to go live in Stockholm, Sweden for 4 years.....we will miss them!!  Emily got held a lot, which she enjoyed - she slept peacefully for most of the visit! She also got some very cute outfits and blankets as presents, and her Daddy got some Argentinean red wine (he'll need it after a few more sleepless nights :)  We had a wonderful time!!    

One week old

Emily is one week old. She had her 1st visit to the doctor and passed with flying colors. ...and she met her Grand-mom for the first time.

Day Four

Emily did well in her new room last night.

She ate every 3 hours and slept well.

Steve gave the rocking chair a good workout throughout the night while Mom got some much needed sleep.

Looking forward to our first full day at home.

DayThree

Mary & Emily spent their last day in the hospital on Sunday. 

They checked out around 1:30pm

Emily enjoyed the new sounds and smells of the car. She did great in the car seat.

Brothers Chris & Collin took turns welcoming their sister home.

Day Two

Emily had an eventful second day. She attended her first class. Lactation. 

It's never too early to start your education :) 

Steve showed up with his sister Karen, her husband Ed, and their daughter Merichelle after a late lunch at Jason's Deli. 

We had a repeat visit from Elizabeth & Mark Smith. Thanks guys.

And some old friends showed up. 

Charles & Susan Kendrick, Brandy Thomas and Steve Foxall.

Emily is sleeping a lot and has been the perfect baby.

Mary & Emily come home from the hospital tomorrow. 

I hope Mary can do without room service :)  

The First Day

Mary didn't get any sleep the first day. She was busy calling her mother in Russia and her best friend in Germany to give them the news of Emily's arrival. 

The day was filled with visits from doctors, nurses, the lady that plans Mary's meals during her stay at the hospital... hard to believe.. but the food is really good.

Emily's first visitors arrived promptly at 6pm on Independence Day. Big Brothers Chris & Collin, followed by Emily's cousin Allison and her new husband Collin and Elizabeth Smith (Mary's maid of honor) and her husband Mark.

Emily George Arrives on Schedule

Emily Nicole George arrived at 5:05AM on July 4th 2008.

Both mom & daughter are doing well.

Visitation is from 6PM-9PM on Friday July 4th and Saturday July 5th. 

Contact Steve for any requests. 214-693-3377

Presbyterian Hospital

8200 Walnut Hill Ln.

Perot Bldg South #506

Dallas, Texas 75231